The Bolte School News

Check out Dr. Corinne Farneti's contribution on the Wallet Hub's article, "Sochi Olympics By The Numbers." The article takes an in depth look at how much money and hands are needed to make the Olypmpics go on. Records were broken both on the competitive field and off the competitive field. Dr. Farneti, along with other experts in the sports field have made contributions to the article and given insight to what takes place to prepare and make it through the Olympic games.

A group of Mount St. Mary's University students are studying in Florence, Italy, this semester, and recently had the opportunity to meet one of the country's leading global logistics managers.

The Mount delegation, led by Marty Malone, Ph.D., professor of sociology, discussed today's global shipping and logistics challenges with Tina Gentile, Italy's country manager for BDP International, a global logistics company. Located in Milan, Ms. Gentile is responsible for all of BDP's operations and also manages a small office outside of Florence. BDP ships a diverse array of products around the globe for companies - from specialty chemicals and high-end automobile parts, to custom-made tuxedos.

Ms. Gentile's visit to Florence was arranged by Karl Einolf, Ph.D., dean of the Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business. The Mount's Business School is named after the founder of BDP International - who sent all seven of his sons to the Mount.

"One of my objectives as dean has been to leverage our relationship with BDP and connect our students and faculty with BDP's employees all over the world," said Dr. Einolf. "Our partnership has led to educational opportunities for both of our organizations."

Ms. Gentile, who studied abroad at the American University in Rome while she pursued her degree in International Business, provided the students with important lessons about living abroad and working for a global company - describing the challenges of both raising a family and doing business in Italy, and reminded them to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about people from other cultures when living abroad.

"Every business deal is always about understanding the client - and most often this means understanding the person as much as their business," she said. "I hope you'll continue to travel abroad, to talk to people in other countries to learn their customs, and to take every advantage to learn another language."

As we all watch the Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia, maybe it is a good time to consider our own views about the host country and its people. We all know the criticisms of Vladimir Putin and the Russian government. The Russian government deserves this criticism, but perhaps we Americans could push ourselves to think deeper about why Russians do what they do and think what they think. As an economist and lawyer who has lived in worked in both countries, I believe the very same is true about Russians and their thinking about Americans. Both sides need to see the good as well as the bad. Or at least think more about where there other is coming from.

Three thoughts for consideration might include: (1) Russia is more than Vladimir Putin; (2) Russia does have legitimate national interests to protect; and (3) both U.S. and Russian media serve their audiences with a very negative picture of each other's country. And maybe a fourth idea: we can do better....Click here to read more.

Mount students and faculty are getting ready to embark on a transcontinental, transoceanic adventure to the Russian Federation! First stop is Chelyabinsk in the beautiful Ural Mountains where Europe and Asia meet. The group will be hosted by the Mount's sister university, South Ural State University. Then onto the ancient capital of the Russian Empire, St. Petersburg along the Gulf of Finland.

This 12-day adventure through Eurasia will provide a unique opportunity for Mount students to explore Russian customs, business practices, urban life, and more.

The trip is anchored in a new course entitled, Global Business and Culture in Russia taught by Dr. Patrice Flynn, Associate Professor of Business and world traveler. Dr. Karl Einolf, Dean of the Bolte School of Business, will join the travelers on the first leg of the trip in Chelyabinsk.

My name is Heather Tysowski, I am from Western Canada and was looking to gain international experience after completing my Bachelors of Business Administration Degree with a dual major in Human Resources Management and Management Administration in Canada. When looking for potential graduate programs I wanted a school that offered small intimate class sizes, a place where a student could get to know professors and fellow students in order to make strong professional long lasting connections and a program that offered a one-year accelerated program. Fortunately for me, Mount St. Mary's offered all the items on the checklist and more.

After applying and receiving my acceptance letter into Mount St. Mary's University, I had my choices narrowed down to three different graduate schools. What seperated the Mount from the other two universities was how Deborah Powell, Director of Graduate and Adult Business Programs in the Richard J. Bolte, Sr. School of Business, personally took time out of her busy schedule to answer all my e-mails, concerns and international requirements required to attend school in the United States. The way Deborah Powell diligently answered all of my questions showed that Mount St. Mary's University was truly the graduate school they advertised to be.

So if you haven't noticed it's that time of year when everyone is busy buying their favorite beverage, and stocking up on snacks. While we may be debating Broncos or Seahawks, it seems we are also talking about the commercials. Holding with tradition the cost of a Super Bowl spot is up over last year with a :30 spot going for a whopping $4 million. Which brings me to the question that I often am asked, Are Super Bowl Spots Really Worth It? Having worked on Madison Avenue I evaluated and negotiated Super Bowl TV packages on behalf of my clients so I would argue that Yes, the Super Bowl is worth it and here is why.

Advertising Buzz
While the popularity of the Super Bowl is not new, the hype for TV spots is. Today we have newspapers and TV morning shows talking as much about the commercials as the game. Think about it, back in the 80's when Apple ran their iconic ad, a Super Bowl spot cost you about $500,000. Today that would only get you three seconds of airtime. So advertisers realize that if they are going to spend the wad on a Super Bowl spot, it needs to be Epic!

No More Appointment Viewing
It used to be we would schedule our time to make sure that we caught our favorite TV shows, when they aired. Those days are a thing of the past and this makes a Super Bowl spot a valuable piece of real estate. Not only do advertisers know that they are going to get the audience, but they also know that viewers often watch the game as much for the ads as they do for the football. The added benefit is no fast forwarding through commercials.

Digital Relationships
Advertisers have been able to extend the impact of their Super Bowl presence through a social media presence. For example, this year brands such as Coca-Cola, Dannon's Oikos, and Hyundai have released either teaser videos or full commercials prior to the game to help build buzz about the brand and the televised Super Bowl spot. Advertisers can also make their advertising an interactive experience such as last year's Oreo Dunk in the Dark tweet. The tweet, which successfully leveraged the Super Bowl power outage, supplemented Oreo's actual Super Bowl spot as it was retweeted 10,000 times within the first hour.

Dr. Davidson came to Mount St. Mary's College in 1991- 22 years ago- and quickly developed into a faculty member who is a living embodiment of our Catholic, liberal arts mission. Dr. Davidson's work in the area of Corporate Social Responsibility has become the bedrock of who we are as a School of Business. He taught us that "at the heart of the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility is the search for a value-driven life, a respect for others, the need for a constraint on greed, a putting aside of arrogance, and a pursuit of social justice."

Dr. Davidson's passion for CSR has left a lasting legacy for our students. He brought us the annual academic symposium on CSR in 1995. He implemented changes in the undergraduate Business major curriculum and in the MBA curriculum to include a mandatory CSR course requirement.

Dr. Davidson has been an accomplished teacher. His thirty years of experience as a marketing executive and his student-focused scholarly agenda enlivens his classroom. He has an incredible ability to deliver real-world experiences to our students. Dr. Davidson is a recognized scholar whose work in the area of Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility is well respected by researchers in both fields.

Dr. Davidson has also generously served the university in many capacities including: Chair of the Department of Business, Accounting, and Economics; he served as Chair of the Faculty; he worked many years on TRAC (Tenure, Rank and Awards Committee); and he currently serves as our Morrison Professor for International Studies.